Survey reveals Scotland’s top five nuisance calls of 2016

Scotland's top five nuisance telephone calls of 2016 have been revealed in a new YouGov survey.

Published:12:00Friday 23 December 2016

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Nine out of ten (90 per cent) people in Scotland receive nuisance calls each month according to a recent survey which has also revealed Scotland’s top five nuisance telephone calls of 2016.

The YouGov survey commissioned by CPR Call Blocker, makers of the best selling call blocking device in the UK, also revealed that almost a fifth (17 per cent) of adults in Scotland have been a victim of a telephone scam.

Of those who have been scammed, over a third (35 per cent) said they had lost between £100 and £10,000 as a result with four per cent having lost over £10,000.

The survey also revealed Scotland’s top five nuisance calls of 2016 are:

Calls about PPI refunds (67 per cent) – being told you are owed money for mis-sold PPI payments and asked for an admin fee to proceed;

Compensations calls (62 per cent) – being told you are due compensation for a vehicle/work accident and then asked to provide personal details and/or pay an admin fee to proceed;

Missed calls/automated calls scam (58 per cent)- a message asks you to call back a number which is a premium-rate phone line;

(Joint fifth) Pensions and investment scams (14 per cent) – being told about an ‘unmissable’ investment opportunity or offered pension liberation or bonuses;

Credit card/loan arranger scam (14 per cent) – you are invited to apply for a guaranteed loan for an application fee;

Almost a third (30 per cent) of adults in Scotland are receiving 20 or more unwanted calls in an average month, with 15 per cent receiving 30 or more calls.

Kris Hicks of CPR Call Blocker said: “With nine out of ten people saying they receive unwanted calls each month, scam and nuisance calls continue to be a major problem for people in Scotland and its often the most vulnerable people in society who are falling victim to telephone scams.

“It is concerning to see the rise in automated messages which makes a first appearance in the top five this year, in at number three. It is also worrying to see the rise in investment opportunity scams which is also new on the top five this year, in joint fifth place. We are hearing about a lot of pension-related investment scams at the moment, and with almost a fifth (18 per cent) of those surveyed being a victim of this type of scam, we predict that, unfortunately, this may well become one of the most prolific scams of 2017.”

CPR Call Blocker commissions the research annually to highlight the scale of unwanted calls across the UK. Its range of call blockers – available at www.cprcallblocker.com and www.amazon.co.uk - offer an immediate solution to the problem. The device is plugged into home phones and allows consumers to cut off unwanted calls as they come in and permanently block them from calling again. Their latest model, CPR Call Blocker Shield, is already pre-programmed to block 2,000 known nuisance callers and gives consumers the option to add a further 1,500.

For those who are still receiving nuisance calls this Christmas, follow CPR Call Blocker’s quick three-step guide to stopping unwanted calls:

Sign up to the Telephone Preference Service – call 0845 070 0707 or visit www.tpsonline.org.uk;

Don’t consent to being contacted – get your phone number taken off directories and look out for tick boxes on all marketing correspondence to see if ticking or unticking them will prevent your details being passed on to third parties;

Consider getting a call blocker.

CPR Call Blocker is also calling on people in Scotland to sign up to the Which? petition to convince the Government to take action on nuisance calls - http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/how-to-stop-nuisance-phone-calls

Kris added: “Our customer base tends to be those aged 55 and over who want to eliminate nuisance and scam calls for good. By being able to block nuisance phone numbers through the touch of a button, our customers have seen a 90 – 100 per cent reduction in the number of calls received depending on how they choose to use the product.”

CPR Call Blocker is the bestselling and most trusted call blocker brand worldwide. The CPR suite of call blockers are available from www.cprcallblocker.com and www.amazon.co.uk or by calling 0800 652 7780.